The Avenging Angels
by kelly.rawlins.357
Summary: One of their own- Ezekiel (Bruce Banner) has gone missing from the Eyes of Heaven, Uriel (Clint Barton) and the Avenging Angels have to find him before Lucifer (Loki) can get ahold of him and use the angel of death and transformation for his own benefit. Cap as Michael, Tony as Gabriel, Thor as Raphael, B. Widow as Raziel and Coulson as Pastor Phil. AU - not canon. Please review
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

_ "Maybe you shall fall and be just like me, hm?"_

_ "I'll never be like you."_

_ "Ah, the plea of the stubborn. You've climbed so high, brother. You've got so far to fall."_

To the outside observer, Uriel had not just awoken from a nightmare. In reality, though it felt that way, he really hadn't been dreaming. To the outside observer, Uriel simply blinked. He crouched, perched on one of his many favourite spots: The statue's atop the Paris Opera House. He'd always liked it up there, particularly at night when he could focus on the city of lights, not the blinding visions of millions always reaching at the back of his mind. He'd learned to control it, his gift, many years ago but when the whole world was playing in the back of your mind it was easy to lose yourself.

Uriel was dressed much like any other human: Jeans, a white button up, a black jacket, black boots. You never noticed it until he moved, but a black cross hung from his neck, always peeking out from between his buttons. He could have been a regular Joe: except he wasn't. The first giveaway was his bow, a great black thing with the engraving of a cross on the left hand side. It wasn't made of any materiel you could easily name, not wood or metal, and the string seemed to be made of a silver that released a high, beautiful note with every arrow sent. The quiver of arrows rested on his back, positioned perfectly over his left shoulder so he could reach the arrows. But the quiver was positioned strategically for another reason.

"Uriel." Raziel's faint voice pierced it's way though the fog in his mind.

"On my way." Uriel had never been slow to respond to any call, but definitely not a call from Raziel. As he stood, the white wings unfurled themselves from the dip between his shoulder blades, the quiver undisturbed between them. He didn't extend his wings all the way, so as not to draw attention to himself. Human's only saw what they wanted to see, but it wasn't them he was worried about.

He pushed off the roof and flew straight into the sky, without a sound and no outside observer would have ever known he was there.

They'd met in a dozen inconspicuous buildings in the last year alone but having just come from the Vatican, Gabriel was in no good mood. He stood in the dusty, abandoned apartment complex in his tailored suit and waited patiently for his brothers to arrive.

Raziel was waiting by the window, her face unreadable but Gabriel knew her enough to know she was worried. And he was too. It was part of the reason he was in such an insufferable mood, Ezekiel was missing. And you didn't go missing, not from Angels. And if the Eyes of Heaven couldn't find him, they were in serious trouble. It was possible they'd find him in a mere matter of minutes, once Uriel arrived so Gabriel did his best to wait patiently.

Raphael watched Gabriel pace in front of him, fighting the urge to show his own anxiety. As long as they were waiting for Michael and Uriel, someone had to remain calm. He heard Uriel seconds before he landed next to Raziel, his wings pressing into his back and almost disappearing. The angels could always see the faint outline and humans could too: though they saw it as a ghost, a shadow in the back of their eye. Humans only believed what they thought possible.

At the same time, Michael entered. Michael wasn't conceited when it came to his appearance, he'd just always been concerned about neatness and the way you present yourself. Which was why the wrinkles in his black pants and white shirt were so unusual. He nodded at each in turn.

"Brothers, sister, we're here because of a troubling matter." Michael began. "Roughly an hour ago, Ezekiel vanished."

Gabriel fought the urge to punch the wall and the action was noticed by all his companions.

Uriel immediately got that far off gaze in his eyes, meaning he was scouring for any trace of Ezekiel. Finally he looked at Michael and gave a barely perceptible shake of his head.

Michael took a deep breath. "Very well. Gabriel?"  
Gabriel took a moment to compose himself before turning back to his companions. "Ezekiel was in Afghanistan, as a doctor to help heal the wounded. We believe he went through a transformation and since then he's been completely off our radar." He gestured to Uriel.

"Obviously, we have to find him right away. There can't be any good reason he's disappeared." Michael said, easily slipping into his role as the leader.

Raphael looked up, or rather down, at the eldest brother. "You believe Lucifer is behind this, don't you?"

Michael didn't reply, and that was answer enough.

"What are we going to do?" Raziel asked, matter of fact like always. Only her brother's knew that she was as worried as they were.

"Raziel and I can begin scouting." Uriel said. "Start in Afghanistan and work our way outward. I'm sure with the entire Host we'll find him shortly."

Michael developed a sad look. "It's just us this time."

"What?" Gabriel didn't hold back, he punched the wall and a chunk of the dry wall went flying, punching it's way through the other walls.

Raphael put his hand on Gabriel's shoulder. "I can understand it just being us for a simple mission but Ezekiel is gone, Michael."

"Father knows what he's doing." Michael said, and that was all there was to it. He looked to Uriel and Raziel, they would follow him no matter what, he knew that. Raphael would fight the urge to argue their Father's orders like he always did but just like Gabriel, the desire, the need to find Ezekiel would win out.

One by one they all nodded.

Michael allowed himself a brief smile. "Good. Don't worry, no one can hide forever."

Uriel gave a barely imperceptible wince and Raziel was the only one to notice. Her eyes flicked to him in worry but he didn't acknowledge the action. He knew differently: there was one man, or rather angel, he had never been able to find.

_"You've got so far to fall, brother." _The words rang in his ear one more time and he didn't know if it was a memory or not…


	2. Chapter 2

Bruce stood at the airport in New York, feeling every inch the fish out of water. He was waiting for Laura outside customs and it was the first time, that he could remember, being in the States and he wanted Laura near him. She was the one who'd found him in Afghanistan with no memory and she'd been at his side every day since then. They'd found out that his name was Bruce and that he was a doctor and no one else knew anything about him: especially him. Apparently Dr Bruce didn't carry I.D of any kind, he didn't even have a wallet.

He couldn't remember anything at all until a civilian was brought in with blunt trauma to the brain and even then his fingers did the leading. Laura had announced there was nothing she could do, after trying for hours and Bruce's feet had led him to the bedside of the boy and within an hour he was recovering perfectly. Honestly, it scared him, the power to hold a life in his hands like that. He couldn't think of any reason why the original Bruce had wanted to become a doctor.

He felt the warm, familiar hand on his back and all the tension left him as he turned to face Laura. "We're golden." She said with a smile. "I don't have an apartment because of how often I'm gone but I've called my brother and he has a place for both of us."

"Where does he live?" Bruce asked, glancing at a passerby who'd been a little too close for his comfort.

Laura chuckled. "You'll see. Come on." She picked up her bags and Bruce grabbed her suitcase and the one bag with his belongings in it: A change of clothes and his tools. "So, I think the first thing we should do is call all the medical schools in the area and see how many doctor Bruce's they have in their alumni." She said as they climbed into the cab. "4416 Ramiel drive please."

"What if they have more than one?" Bruce asked.

"I'll just ask them if they had an exceptionally talented doctor Bruce." Laura answered, smiling playfully.

Bruce returned her smile and looked out the window as she flipped open her notebook, making notes of what she'd seen in Afghanistan for her book. Something in the back of his mind told him he'd seen New York before but it didn't feel familiar like he thought a home would be. He didn't even feel right in his own skin.

As it turned out, Laura's brother was a priest at the mission in one of the darker parts of New York who was going to let them stay in the spare rooms above the mission. Bruce liked Phil, he was quiet but seemed ready with a warm smile at a moments notice: A trait he shared with his sister. Their smiles couldn't be described as an action of their lips, but more of something that spread from their eyes and glowed. Even in the short time he could remember, Bruce had seen so many fake smiles.

"This is the one you wrote me about?" Phil asked, after shaking Bruce's hand.

Laura nodded. "In the flesh."

"I hate to trouble you after your flight, but there's a boy here and we can't afford to take him to the hospital. Would you take a look at him?" Phil asked, gesturing towards the back of the mission.

Bruce nodded, "Of course."

"If you two don't mind, I'm gonna get settled." Laura said, taking her things and heading up the stairs.

"So does the bleeding heart run in your family?" Bruce asked. In the back of his mind he thought he sounded like someone he knew, but he couldn't place it.

Phil chuckled. "I suppose so." He led Bruce to a back room where a young boy was laying on an old cot. He was shaking slightly and there was a sheen of sweat covering his body.

Bruce didn't wait for Phil to say anything more, he just opened his bag and began pulling out things he still didn't know the name of but somehow knew how to use. He knelt by the boys side and checked his temperature: he was burning up. "What's his name?"

"Christopher." Phil answered.

Bruce nodded. "Hey, Christopher. I'm Bruce, you're gonna be okay." The boy barely seemed to register the words. "Can I have a bowl of hot water and some cold towels?"

"Of course." Phil walked past Bruce to get the supplies and Bruce checked Christopher's pulse. It was erratic at best. He pulled a bottle of pills from his black bag and popped the lid: was it five or two pills that would help? He took a deep breath, closed his eyes and tapped the bottle, allowing the pills to fall into his hand and lifting it after only a second. Muscle memory produced two pills and he crushed them, dropping them into the water beside Christopher's bed.

Bruce supported the back of Christopher's head with his hand and held the water to his lips. "Come on, Christopher. I need you to drink this, alright?" He prompted softly.

Christopher's lips barely parted and Bruce gave him small amounts of the water at a time, prompting him to swallow.

After a few minutes, Phil returned with the water and towels and Bruce put the wet towel on Christopher's forehead. He started washing his hands in the bowl of hot water and glanced at Phil who had taken the young boys hand in his and was muttering softly, praying.

"I don't think it's anything that serious." Bruce began. "I imagine it's an infection of sorts." He frowned, wishing his memory would work better. He certainly didn't sound very professional.

Phil looked up at him, giving him a brief, confidant smile. "Nothing is too trivial. I prayed for Him to send help and here you are." He looked back down at Christopher. "I will pray He guides your hands."

Bruce's frown, deepened. He wasn't sure why that sentence caused so much turmoil in him.


End file.
